Mr President, from the outset I would like to thank you for
the invitation and opportunity to address the distinguished members
of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly during this plenary
session.

I would like to hail the outgoing President, Mr van der Linden,
for his dedicated and serious work in heading the Assembly at a
time of great political transformations in Europe, and to wish him
further personal and professional successes.

It is also my pleasure to wish good luck and success to you,
Mr de Puig, in your mission as the new President of the Assembly,
and to assure you of my support, and that of my country’s representatives
to this Assembly, in fulfilling your duty.

(The speaker continued in Albanian)

He said that the Parliamentary Assembly that he was addressing
was the most dynamic force in furthering European integration and
was in many ways the conscience of Europe. The Council of Europe
had been the first genuinely European Assembly and its contribution
in the Balkans during the early 1990s had been vital in bringing
new nations into the family of Europe. It played a major role in
preparing candidate countries for accession to the European Union.

It was a particular pleasure, but also a great responsibility,
to address the Assembly on behalf of the Republic of Albania. He
was speaking with the voice of the Albanian people and expressing
their European aspirations. Albanians had a desire to complete their
process of reform as quickly as possible and their aim was to increase living
standards to match those of the rest of Europe and for Albania to
become an inseparable part of a united Europe. The integration of
Albania into the European Union was a national priority and a strategic
goal, one which had the full support of the Albanian people. As
President, he gave a strong guarantee of that public support and
would continue to pursue those objectives.

The Republic of Albania appreciated the support of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe. Many of its members had closely
followed and supported Albania’s progress in transforming itself
into a democratic state. This transformation, while sometime painful,
had been vital to allow Albania to become a fully fledged member
of the European family of nations.

Public sector reform was a priority: that was seen not as
a burden, but as a mission. European standards in that regard were
continuously developing, which made Albania’s task of matching them
an ever-evolving one. Particularly important was the implementation
of the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers in respect of
the European Convention on Human Rights. He was determined to support
the reform of the judicial system in Albania to allow it to serve
all of the people. The elimination of corruption was a vital part
of that reform. The co-operation between the Council of Europe and
the European Commission to help train members of the judicial system
had been particularly helpful, and he was optimistic about the results
that this co-operation would produce.

Reforming the electoral system was also important. The debates
that had been conducted in Albania had to bear fruit in the form
of a pluralist democracy served by an electoral system of the highest
standards. In this, Albania had been greatly assisted by support
from the Venice Commission, and remained fully committed to implementing
the framework for the protection of minorities. Mr Topi also acknowledged
the help of the Council of Europe in opening a school of politics
in Albania. That would help Albania progress to a situation in which the
Council of Europe’s monitoring systems could be wound down.

Albania was fully committed to implementing its Stabilisation
Agreement and hoped that it would be ratified by the European Union
within months, after which it would seek candidate country status.
He was grateful to European Union member states for their contribution
and emphasised that Albania wanted to play its part in the European
Union. It had to be remembered that the unification of Europe was
an ongoing process. Only a united Europe could eliminate war as
a tool of international relations and so bring stability and prosperity.

Albania had followed closely the discussions between the European
Union and NATO. It was determined to join NATO and hoped for an
invitation at the forthcoming Bucharest summit; moreover, Albania
deserved an invitation and was fully united in pursuit of that goal.
Accession to NATO would enhance regional security and offer a further
positive example of the triumph of democracy. Albania’s transition
from dictatorship to democracy was a beacon showing the benefits
of integration into the wider European community.

Albania also encouraged regional co-operation. It sought to
co-operate with its neighbours on diplomatic, economic, political
and cultural levels. He was pleased that Albanians were convinced
that the Euro-Atlantic partnership would provide a safer future
for them.

Kosovo remained an unresolved issue following disintegration
of the artificial state that was the former Yugoslavia. Albania
supported swift independence for Kosovo: that was driven by the
political reality within Kosovo and would also be in the interests
of the region. Kosovo, within its present borders, had to be oriented towards
the Euro-Atlantic partnership to ensure the long-term stability
of the Balkans.

He condemned calls for the partition of Kosovo, which would
revive the nationalist feelings, and said that Albania was determined
to respect the borders of its neighbours. President Ahtisaari’s
proposals were the only realistic prospect for a long-term solution.
They offered a solution that had the support of a majority in the
key international organisations. Kosovo could not be held a hostage
of its undetermined status. If the United Nations process failed,
as seemed to be the case, he urged the European Union, NATO and
the United States to implement the Ahtisaari proposals and so allow
Kosovo to join the family of nations. Kosovo’s election of a president
and the appointment of an inclusive coalition government showed
that Kosovo would be a credible partner in the European Union.

The world had become smaller, not just due to technology but
through the globalisation of problems and policies. Albania had
joined the multinational fight against the crisis of values, world
poverty, terrorism and ethnic and religious conflict. Islam and
Christianity co-existed in Albania and her happy experience of this
could positively contribute to programmes for a Europe free from
ethnic and religious conflict.

He concluded by welcoming the fact that the European notions
of the 19th century had become a reality: the nations of Europe
were assembled together, democratically governed, with the right
to freedom and justice established on the principle of peace.

thanked
Mr Topi for a speech of great interest and for the way in which
he had set out the changes and reforms that Albania had undertaken.
He was proud that Albania wanted to join the European institutions
of which the Council of Europe was part. He also thanked Mr Topi
for his comments on stability and inter-religious dialogue.

Eleven colleagues wished to ask questions and, to ensure that
all had the chance to do so, he would not allow supplementary questions.
The session would end at 1 p.m. and he would stop questions at that
point.

He called Mr Iwiński.

Mr IWIŃSKI (Poland)

A great number
of Albanians are living beyond the borders of your country, Mr President,
mainly in the Balkans but also in the United States, for instance.
What is the policy of the Tirana Government on this diaspora? With
regard to Kosovan independence, what type of relations could exist between
two independent European Albanian states? Could they be based on
a German, Chinese or Korean model, or another type of model?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that in his address he had said that Albania was in favour
of the independence of Kosovo within its current borders. The integration
of all countries in the Balkans into the European family would contribute
to the stability of the region.

Mr BENDER (Poland)

Yesterday, we
had a fruitful discussion about Kosovo, which is currently pre-eminently Moslem.
In Albania, the biggest religion is Islam, but the Orthodox and
Catholic Churches are also present. Can those three religions co-exist
in harmony?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

thought that the greatest achievement of Albania was religious
tolerance. The three main religions in Albania co-existed well.
He said that a holiday for one religion was a holiday for all Albanians.
Inter-marriage between people of different religions was not prevented
by law or society. He was proud of what Albania had achieved in
relation to religious tolerance and considered religious tolerance
to be part of the tradition of Albania.

Mr KOX (Netherlands)

In your speech,
Mr President, you called this Assembly the conscience of Europe. Yesterday,
we accepted a report on the future status of Kosovo which read,
after being amended, “As a consequence, the Assembly concludes that
… alternative ways should be envisaged to secure the continuation of
the talks on the basis of the UNSC Resolution 1244 and the attainment
of a compromise solution”. How will you respect that statement by
the conscience of Europe?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

appreciated the role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe and its respect for diverse opinions. On the question
of independence for Kosovo, he said that Albania had encouraged
the process of dialogue. Albania had allowed the 120-day discussion
period on independence and he had hoped that the United Nations
would find a solution. Albania had not, however, moved from its
position that the independence of Kosovo would offer the best prospects
for long-term security in the Balkans. That position was now supported
by the United States and by the majority of European Union member
states.

Mrs HURSKAINEN (Finland)

What is the current
situation with human trafficking in Albania and what measures are
the government taking to eradicate both internal and international
trafficking of women and girls for purposes of commercial sexual
exploitation?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that Albania had made progress in tackling the issue
of the trafficking of women. It had adopted the relevant conventions
and was co-operating with non-governmental organisations and with
the media to reduce incidences of trafficking. Guaranteeing borders,
fighting organised crime and reforming the judicial system had all
helped this process.

Mr POLLOZHANI (“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”)

As you said, Mr President, the Balkans need stability and
we are all committed to working towards that. But the Balkans also
need co-operation between countries. One of the most important components
of that co-operation is Corridor 8, which connects Macedonia, Albania
and Bulgaria in the west, and Italy and Turkey in the east. Many
commitments, memorandums and agreements have been signed, but nothing
concrete has been achieved. Do you intend to undertake additional
initiatives to accelerate the achievement of concrete results, and
what might those initiatives be?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that Corridor 8 was a very sensitive issue. The corridor
was vital to the economic future of the region. It was important
to open new corridors for the flow of information as well as to ease
the movement of people and goods.

Mr IVANOV (Bulgaria) (interpretation)

said that there
were many minority groups in Albania and in other south-eastern European
countries. The Bulgarians in Albania were one such minority. He
asked what were the President’s intentions for protecting Bulgarians
and allowing them to be taught in their mother tongue.

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that the missions of the Council of Europe that had visited
Albania had recorded that they had found on the ground evidence
that Albanian institutions took minority rights seriously. Minorities
now enjoyed more standards and rights than the native Albanian population.
Standards in schools and classes were higher for minorities. Minorities
were fully integrated and it was sometimes difficult to distinguish
who was from a minority group and who was not.

Mr VAREIKIS (Lithuania)

My question
relates to the internal political life of your country. You have
two strong political parties, the Socialist Party and the Social
Democratic Party, which disagree on almost all issues. When we read
reports about your country, we see that sometimes the ruling party
and the opposition have completely different views. How can you
as President help to change that negative situation?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that Mr Vareikis was missing some recent information.
New ground had been opened up after the opening of the new parliamentary
session in Albania. There had been a pact between the political
parties to carry out fundamental internal reforms. That clearly
demonstrated co-operation between the political parties within Albania,
showed that democracy ruled and that there was political will for
this to be the case.

Mr PAVLIDIS (Greece) (interpretation)

congratulated
Mr Topi on the progress made by Albania. He asked when there would be
regional co-operation within the Balkans, and whether Mr Topi would
agree with and support that co-operation, for the international
community had waited long for that to occur.

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that he thought that the visit that he had made two months
previously to Greece, which had included talks with the President
and Prime Minister and with the leader of the Parliamentary Assembly,
had demonstrated the foundations of good relations between Albania
and Greece. It had been an opportunity to strengthen relationships
– economic, regional and global. He felt that there were no bad
influences on the relationship between Greece and Albania, although
there was still work to be done at professional level. Great willingness
to co-operate had been demonstrated by both sides.

Mr DAČIČ (Serbia)

As there have
been some misunderstandings about terminology, I should like to
know whether the people who live in your country and in Kosovo are
the same. There are two names in use: Albanians and Kosovars. Does
that mean that Kosovars are a national minority in Albania, and
that Albanians are a national minority in Kosovo? Or are they the
same people who want to have two Albanian national states in Europe
that will eventually become one?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that he thought that the same situation had not happened
to other people. Albania and Kosovo were two countries with two
separate sets of institutions. The minorities in Kosovo had representation
following the recent free and fair elections held there. Serbians
and other minorities had taken part in the Kosovan Parliament. Albania
and Kosovo were two countries with their own institutions and threatened
neither their own nor anyone else’s borders.

Mr MATOSHI (“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”)

Albania, Macedonia and Croatia are part of the Adriatic Charter.
It is expected that they will receive an invitation to joint NATO
in April. Could you please briefly explain the readiness of Albania
to join NATO, and whether you expect to receive such an invitation?

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that he was full of optimism that Albania would receive
an invitation to join NATO later in 2008. Albania had undertaken
a long preparatory period for acceptance, which had included military
reforms. He said that everything had so far gone as predicted in
their preparations for meeting the requirements for joining NATO
and that all the institutions had complied with the requirements
of the invitation. NATO ambassadors had recently visited Albania
and had observed the reforms for themselves.

Mr BRANGER (France) (interpretation)

said that the
French appreciated Albania’s foreign policy and the courage it had shown
in implementing its internal reforms. In the Assembly there had
been talk of obstructionism and the need for further reform to the
judicial system in Albania. He asked what measures had been taken,
and would be taken, to reform further the judicial system in Albania.

Mr Topi, President of Albania (interpretation)

said that the Albanian political class was taking time to
mature and to do so had gone back to the primary issues of importance
for the country. There had been a willingness within both the political
parties and the judicial authorities to reform. They were currently
enjoying fruitful co-operation. Further co-operation would bring
Albania up to date with prevailing global standards.

THE PRESIDENT (interpretation)

Thank you,
Mr President. That concludes the questions and I would like to thank
you very much for answering. Members of the Assembly have asked
you all sorts of questions on many different subjects. There has
been full freedom to raise any issue. Thank you for having submitted
yourself to this exercise and for giving such detailed answers.